Arthur and the Invisibles (2006)

Ten-year-old Arthur, in a bid to save his grandfather's house from being demolished, goes looking for some much-fabled hidden treasure in the land of the Minimoys, tiny people living in harmony with nature.

Director:

Luc Besson

Writers:

Céline Garcia, Luc Besson

Stars:

Freddie Highmore, Mia Farrow, Madonna

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Freddie Highmore	...	Arthur
Mia Farrow	...	Granny
Ron Crawford	...	Archibald (voice)
Penny Balfour	...	Arthur's Mother
Doug Rand	...	Arthur's Father
Adam LeFevre	...	Davido
Jean Bejote Njamba	...	Massai Chief
Saul Jephcott	...	Police Officer #1
Lee Delong	...	Saleslady (as Lee de Long)
Christian Erickson	...	Antique Dealer
Eric Balliet	...	Mover #1
Oxmo Puccino	...	Mover #2
Robert William Bradford	...	Baliff
Jerry Di Giacomo	...	Repairman (voice)
Bienvenue Kindoki	...	Matassalai #1

Storyline

Arthur is a spirited ten-year old whose parents are away looking for work, whose eccentric grandfather has been missing for several years, and who lives with his grandmother in a country house that, in two days, will be repossessed, torn down, and turned into a block of flats unless Arthur's grandfather returns to sign some papers and pay off the family debt. Arthur discovers that the key to success lies in his own descent into the land of the Minimoys, creatures no larger than a tooth, whom his grandfather helped relocate to their garden. Somewhere among them is hidden a pile of rubies, too. Can Arthur be of stout heart and save the day? Romance beckons as well, and a villain lurks.

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Plot Keywords:

treasure | princess | underground world | debt | garden | 

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Taglines:

A huge adventure for the whole family.

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Family | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for fantasy action and brief suggestive material

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [France]

Country:

France

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 January 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Arthur and the Invisibles

Filming Locations:

France

Box Office

Budget:

$86,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$15,132,763

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$108,605,609

Company Credits

Production Co:

EuropaCorp, Avalanche Productions, Metro Voices

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The sacred sword that no one (not even Princess Selenia) can pull out of the stone (she implies that only the chosen one can pull it out) but Arthur is able to pull out easily, is an homage to King Arthur and the legend of the Sword in the Stone. King Arthur (with whom the main character of this movie shares a name) becomes King when he is able to pull a sword from the stone, in which it was stuck, when no one else could.

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Goofs

When Arthur, Selenia and Betameche are inside a straw segment that is floating in the water, there is no water inside the straw even though surface tension would not be enough to keep the straw from partially sinking into the water.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: [a photo album unlatches and opens to a picture of a bearded man] This is Archibald Suchot, a treasure hunter, explorer, and engineer. He spent 10 years in Africa building every type of useful thing. Oh, by the way, it's in the heart of Africa that our story begins.
Narrator: [cut to a country road] Well, this really isn't Africa, it's Connecticut, and this is the house Archibald lived in before he mysteriously disappeared. But that's a story that Archibald's grandson would be more qualified ...

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Crazy Credits

The credits feature the characters walking by the names of their voice actors and sometimes pausing briefly to wave. The human characters (Arthur's grandmother, parents,etc.) are in Minimoy form. Luc Besson is also seen in Minimoy form.

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Alternate Versions

The theatrical release has the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer opening and closing logos, but on home video releases, all MGM references are removed.

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Connections

References The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

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Soundtracks

My Tragedy
Music and Lyrics by David Darricarrere, Nicolas Berrivin and Christophe Declercq
Performed by Smooth
© Editions Première Music Group
Courtesy of Ministrong
From the Album "An Electro-Soul Experience"

User Reviews

An OK film for kids, but nothing us grown-ups haven't seen many times before

I've had the privilege of watching the worldwide premiere of Arthur and the Minimoys on Friday, December 1st 2006. French director Luc Besson (Leon, The Fifth Element) arrived at the "Yes Planet" theater in Ramat-Gan, Israel early afternoon, to attend the show. Right before the screening began, he asked the audience to open it's heart, and added something about the film being aimed mainly for kids. He was right.

Maybe it's that bitter 26-year-old guy in me that just couldn't let go of that aching sarcasm that prevented me from really enjoying this half CGI animated/half live action film. Maybe it's the fact that i've just seen so many similar products through the course of my life, that I found it heard to be excited or (god forbid) enthusiastic during this one. Whatever the cause, I couldn't help but reaching the eventual conclusion that Arthur and the Minimoys didn't live up to it's potential. If Besson had just moved one step forward with his imagination, if the twists had been just a tad more original, if the ending hadn't felt so quick and rushed - I could have had a much better time.

The plot line is easy to follow: 10 year-old Arthur, played by Freddie Highmore of Charlie and the Chocolate fame, lives in a small town with his grandmother, portrayed by Mia Farrow (Rosemary's Baby, The Purple Rose of Cairo). It's the early 1960's and Arthur, who is neglected by his parents, escapes his loneliness by hearing stories of his absent grandfather's journeys to imaginative lands. Reality, however, is grim, as Grandpa has been missing for three years and Grandma must raise a large sum of money in 48 hours, or her land will be seized by the local authorities. Determined to save the property, Arthur sets out on a journey to the land of the Minimoys, extremely small beings who live in his garden, in search of expensive rubies that can put an end to Grandma's debts. From here on out the story turns CGI, as Arthur is shrinked to the size of an average Minimoy himself. On his journey, he falls in love with princess Selenia (voiced by Madonna), befriends a rastaman underground dweller named Max (Snoop Dog) and faces the evil being referred to as "M" (David Bowie).

While the animation is colorful and filled with imagination, the plot moves so fast you don't have much time to really notice the details. Also, there are some supposedly subtle remarks about sex, marriage and corrupt leaders which I don't think are fully appropriate for kids.

Bottom Line, Arthur and the Minimoys is an OK ride, but nothing we haven't seen before. From the recent animated The Ant Bully, through the classic 1980's Honey I Shrunk the Kids, the famed story of King Arthur and even The Matrix - it's all homaged, if not copied, in this new entry.